Distribution box

ABSTRACT

A distributor box is provided for microprocessor, memory and logic components and/or power semiconductor components, with a housing comprising a lower housing compartment and at least one upper housing compartment, which can be connected to the lower compartment in a tightly sealed, firm manner to provide a high degree of protection. At least one transfer pin-and-socket connector is provided comprising a first and a second connector part, the first connector part of which is fixedly mounted in an upper housing compartment in such a way that when this upper compartment is set onto the lower compartment, the first connector part is brought into electrical contact with a second connector part of the transfer pin-and-socket connector, which fits together with the first part and is fixedly mounted in the lower housing compartment. In the lower housing compartment are mounted connecting devices or external terminal arrangements such as terminal strips or the like, so that a set of cables can be connected to at least the associated second pin-and-socket connector part. The lower housing compartment comprises a T-shaped, high tension cabling between two external connecting devices and one external terminal arrangement for a hybrid cable on the lower housing compartment. The lower housing compartment also comprises a T-shaped cabling for a field bus between two external terminal arrangements on the lower housing compartment and at least one second pin-and-socket connector part. In at least one upper housing compartment there is mounted an electronic circuit that can be electrically connected to a control bus by way of a first and a second pin-and-socket connector part. The lower housing compartment also comprises an external means of connecting a hybrid cable with hybrid pin-and-socket connector part that incorporates high tension and low tension leads, the high tension leads being connectable to at least one electronic circuit in an upper housing compartment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a distributor box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In industrial plants many widely scattered items of field equipment, inparticular drive mechanisms, consisting of electric motors withfrequency or voltage converters or switching devices, must becontrollable from a central computer. For this purpose various types offield buses are used, such as the Interbus, Profibus, CANbus or thelike. The field equipment is provided with leads suitable for a fieldbus and usually each mechanism includes an addressable electroniccontrol unit that filters data out of the field-bus signals when thosedata are addressed to the particular mechanism concerned.

Energy or power is supplied to the field equipment by way of hightension cables, in particular those designed for three-phase current.

In many cases the manufacturers of field equipment make use of othercontrol-bus protocols, which are not in the same category as fieldbuses. For example, those skilled in the art will be familiar with thecontrol-bus protocol MOVILINK, made by the firm SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co.These control-bus protocols are not compatible with the field-busprotocols conventionally used in industry and are also termed system-busprotocols. They can exhibit an extremely high data-transfer rate. Inparticular, with such control or system buses the commands and codingsare designed specifically for a certain group of devices, and inparticular depend on the individual manufacturer. On the whole, withsystem buses the real-time performance of applications can be improved.

The set of cables used for high voltage and bus systems is elaborate andexpensive, in particular because of the stellate cable arrangement ofthe high tension wiring. One substantial cost factor is the time neededto install the cabling.

DE 40 05 086 discloses a terminal unit for domestic technology. Thehousing of this unit provides a separation between electronic circuitryand cabling. Here the cabling is mounted in the lower part of the unitand the electronic circuitry, in the upper part of the unit. Thisterminal unit cannot be used for industrial plants.

The objective of the invention is to provide a distributor box whichavoids the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, it is intendedto enable simple and inexpensive cabling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Essential features of this solution of the problem are that thedistributor box with at least one electronic circuit, in particularcomprising microprocessor, memory and logic components and/or powersemiconductor components, with a housing, comprises

a lower housing compartment,

at least one upper housing compartment, which can be connected to thelower compartment in a tightly sealed, firm manner to provide a highdegree of protection,

at least one transfer pin-and-socket connector, each of which comprisesa first and a second connector part, the first connector part of whichis fixedly mounted in an upper housing compartment in such a way thatwhen this upper compartment is set onto the lower compartment, the firstconnector part is brought into electrical contact with a secondconnector part of the transfer pin-and-socket connector, which fitstogether with the first part and is fixedly mounted in the lower housingcompartment,

wherein in the lower housing compartment are mounted connecting devicesor external terminal arrangements such as terminal strips or the like,so that a set of cables can be connected to at least the associatedsecond pin-and-socket connector part,

and wherein the lower housing compartment comprises a T-shaped, hightension cabling, such as for a three-phase current, between two externalconnecting devices and one external terminal arrangement for a hybridcable on the lower housing compartment,

and wherein the lower housing compartment comprises a T-shaped cablingfor a field bus between two external terminal arrangements on the lowerhousing compartment and at least one second pin-and-socket connectorpart,

and wherein in at least one upper housing compartment there is mountedan electronic circuit that can be electrically connected to a controlbus by way of a first and a second pin-and-socket connector part,

and wherein the lower housing compartment comprises an external means ofconnecting a hybrid cable with hybrid pin-and-socket connector part thatincorporates high tension and low tension leads,

and wherein the high tension leads of the hybrid cable can be connectedto at least one electronic circuit in an upper housing compartment.

Hence it advantageously enables the cabling arrangement to be verysimple and inexpensive. In particular, parts can be preassembled andprefabricated, and thus need not be handled individually duringinstallation in the plant. The transfer pin-and-socket connector andconnector parts enable a particularly rapid, secure and simpleconnection of housing compartments. In particular, the use of hybridpin-and-socket connector parts also makes it possible to close anddisconnect high tension and low tension leads in a time-saving manner.The provision of the hybrid cable saves time and furthermore makes thelayout of the whole cabling system clearer, because high tension and lowtension cables no longer need to be positioned individually.

An especially crucial characteristic of the invention is that the leadsof the field bus are looped through and therefore advantageously makepossible annular structures of the cabling for field buses. A similaressential characteristic of the invention is that the high tensioncabling is T-shaped and the branch to the associated field mechanism isenabled by a hybrid cable. Hence it is possible to use annular cablingfor the high voltage as well. Here it is of advantage that such cablingscan be implemented in a distinctly more economical way, with a saving ofmaterials.

The term “field mechanism” is understood here to include an electricmotor with converter, an electric motor with a simple switching deviceto turn it on and off, an electric motor with smooth-starting device orthe like.

The term “looped through” indicates that a cable coming from theexterior is connected by leads to an external terminal arrangement inthe distributor box and then, by way of internal cabling, is connectedto an additional external terminal arrangement in the distributor box towhich, in turn, a cable coming from the exterior is connected by leads.

The term “T-shaped cabling” should be understood to mean that a cablecoming from the exterior is connected by leads to an external terminalarrangement in the distributor box and then, by way of an internalcabling, is electrically connected to at least two additional externalterminal arrangements in the distributor box, to which in turn cablescoming from the exterior can be connected by leads. One of theseexternal terminal arrangements is designed for a hybrid cable thatcomprises high tension and control-bus leads.

Another particularly essential characteristic of the invention consistsin the fact that cable systems and connectors are fixedly mounted in thelower housing compartment, so as to be immune to interference, whereasthe electronic apparatus that requires maintenance or repair, or needsto be adjusted or replaced to suit the local conditions, is disposed inthe upper housing compartment. This separation makes it possible tocarry out extremely complicated maintenance work even under adversefield conditions, by merely exchanging one upper housing compartment foranother one with electronics that are undamaged or suited to the alteredconditions or requirements. An added benefit is that the degree ofprotection can be of a high standard, which is likewise facilitated inparticular by the mechanical and electrical separation between the upperand lower compartments.

Altogether, then, the distributor box comprises at least one electroniccircuit, in particular one with microprocessor, memory and logiccircuitry, and a housing with a lower compartment and at least one uppercompartment, which can be connected thereto in a tightly sealed andstable manner and includes a transfer pin-and-socket connector, thefirst part of which is fixedly mounted on the upper housing compartmentin such a way that when an upper housing compartment is put into placeon the lower housing compartment, it is brought into electrical contactwith a second connector part of the transfer pin-and-socket connectorthat is fixedly mounted in the lower housing compartment. In thisarrangement, external terminal arrangements such as terminal strips orthe like are disposed in the lower housing compartment, in order toconnect a cable arrangement to the second pin-and-socket connector part,and in the upper housing compartment the electronic circuitry isdisposed.

The low tension leads comprise, on one hand, preferably braking leads tocontrol an electric motor with brake, in which case the braking leadscan be connected to the particular electronic circuitry that comprises aconverter and can be connected to at least control-bus leads; on theother hand, they comprise control-bus leads, in which case thecontrol-bus leads of the hybrid cable can be connected to thecontrol-bus leads of the particular electronic circuitry that iselectrically connected to the field bus. It is advantageous here that inboth cases the same type of hybrid cable can be used, so that there is anet reduction of expenditure.

Preferably the transfer pin-and-socket connector provides the onlyelectrical connection between the cabling in the lower housingcompartment and the electronic circuitry in each upper compartment.Therefore the electronics can be repaired or exchanged by simplyexchanging one upper housing compartment for another, with minimalmanipulation, as the upper housing compartments with incorporatedelectronics have been constructed or reconstructed in suitablesurroundings, i.e. not in the field.

In another preferable embodiment, the distributor box comprises aground-connection cable between each upper housing compartment and thelower compartment. Hence the transfer pin-and-socket connectors and theground-connection cable constitute the only electrical connectionbetween the upper and lower housing compartments. It is advantageoushere that the upper housing compartment is grounded even after it hasbeen opened or lifted off.

The field-bus leads, as low tension leads, in an advantageous embodimentalso comprise leads for power supply, such as 24-V leads or the like.Shielding and grounding leads can also be included. It is advantageoushere that the field-bus leads with power-supply leads are distinguishedfrom the high tension cabling systems and can be cabled together withthe field-bus leads.

In a further development the lower housing compartment comprises amotor-protection switch. It is advantageous here that for purposes ofassembly, repair or installation it is possible to interrupt the highvoltage supply to the field mechanism or mechanisms supplied from thedistributor box.

In an advantageous further development the lower housing compartmentcomprises an auxiliary switch that is mechanically coupled to themotor-protection switch. The motor-protection switch electricallydisconnects the high tension leads. The auxiliary switch, because of themechanical coupling, approximately simultaneously electricallydisconnects the field-bus leads and the power-supply leads. It isadvantageous here that the field mechanism or mechanisms can becompletely disconnected electrically.

In an advantageous embodiment the electronic circuitry is configured soas to be addressable as a bus participant and the data destined for thisaddress can be filtered out from the field bus and translated into acontrol-bus protocol, and the translated data can be sent on by way ofthe control bus to the one or more items of field apparatus supplied bythe distributor box.

In another preferred embodiment a first upper housing compartmentincorporates an electronic circuit that is electrically connected atleast to the field bus and the system bus. It is advantageous here thatthe electronic circuit can be designed as a bus converter and can berapidly exchanged by means of the above-mentioned pin-and-socketconnector parts. Hence it is even possible to change from one bus systemto another by exchanging this upper housing component, with itselectronic circuit.

In another preferred embodiment the distributor box comprises a secondupper housing compartment to form a closed-off spatial region. It isadvantageous here that by lifting up the housing compartment the spacecontaining the external terminal arrangements becomes accessible andnecessary cable installations can be carried out. Once this cabling workhas been completed, the upper housing compartment is replaced and hencethe housing advantageously again becomes tightly sealed and firmlyreconnected, i.e. is closed with a high degree of protection.

In yet another preferred embodiment the distributor box comprises athird upper housing compartment with an electronic circuit that can beconnected electrically to at least the system bus and brake leads. It isadvantageous here that the electronic circuit can be designed as aconverter and hence the distributor box can supply, control and regulatean electric motor.

In another preferred embodiment the lower housing compartment comprisesa braking resistance of a converter and the braking resistance iselectrically connected to the electronic circuit of the third upperhousing compartment. It is advantageous here that a braking resistancecan be integrated into the distributor box and the housing of thedistributor box can actually be used to conduct heat away from thebraking resistance. Hence the housing simultaneously serves as a coolingdevice.

In another distributor box an essential characteristic is that thedistributor box with at least one electronic circuit, in particularcomprising microprocessor, memory and logic components and/or powersemiconductor elements, with a housing, comprises

a lower housing compartment,

at least one upper housing compartment that can be connected to thelower housing compartment in a tightly sealed and stable manner, i.e.with a high degree of protection,

at least one transfer pin-and-socket connector, each of which comprisesa first and a second connector part, the first connector part of whichis mounted in an upper housing compartment in such a way that when thisupper housing compartment is put into place on the lower housingcompartment the first connector part can be brought into electricalcontact with a second connector part of the transfer pin-and-socketconnector, which fits together with the first part and is mounted in thelower housing compartment,

wherein in the lower housing compartment connecting devices and/orexternal terminal arrangements such as terminal strips or the like aremounted by which to connect a set of cables to at least the secondpin-and-socket connector part in each case,

wherein the housing is in thermally conducting connection with a brakingresistance of a converter.

It is advantageous here that a braking resistance can be integrated intothe distributor box and the housing of the distributor box can actuallybe used to conduct heat away from the braking resistance. The housingthus simultaneously serves as a cooling device. Hence the brakingresistance can be installed during manufacture, eliminating costs forinstallation, assembly, cabling or the like. Furthermore, there is noneed to provide extra room for mounting the braking resistance.

In another preferred embodiment the braking resistance is mounted in theinterior of the housing. It is advantageous here that the housing takesover protective functions, such as shielding people from hightemperatures and protection against contact in general. Furthermore, thehousing can be electrically grounded and hence provides electricalprotection. In another preferred embodiment the housing is made ofplastic. It is advantageous here that even an insulating function canadditionally be served by the housing.

In another preferred embodiment the housing is constructed so as to giveoff heat, in particular comprises cooling fingers and/or cooling ribs.It is advantageous here that the housing of the distributor box canrapidly give off thermal energy into the surroundings; that is, it has alow heat-transfer resistance with respect to the surroundings.

In another distributor box an essential characteristic is that thedistributor box with at least one electronic circuit, in particularcomprising microprocessor, memory and logic components and/or powersemiconductor elements, with a housing, comprises

a lower housing compartment,

at least one upper housing compartment that can be connected to thelower housing compartment in a tightly sealed and stable manner, i.e.with a high degree of protection,

at least one transfer pin-and-socket connector, each of which comprisesa first and a second connector part and the first connector part ofwhich is mounted in an upper housing compartment in such a way that whenthis upper housing compartment is put into place on the lower housingcompartment the first connector part can be brought into electricalcontact with a second connector part of the transfer pin-and-socketconnector, which fits together with the first part and is mounted in thelower housing compartment,

wherein in the lower housing compartment connecting devices and/orexternal terminal arrangements such as terminal strips or the like aremounted by which to connect a set of cables to at least the secondpin-and-socket connector part in each case,

wherein a second upper housing compartment together with at least thelower housing compartment closes off from the surroundings or makesaccessible an interior spatial region of the housing of the distributorbox, so that the connecting devices and/or the external terminalarrangements are accessible for connecting the cabling.

It is advantageous here that for connecting the cabling, for exampleduring installation, maintenance or putting the system into operation,the connecting devices and/or the external terminal arrangements aremade accessible and can be altered by releasing the second upper housingcompartment.

In another preferred embodiment the second upper housing compartment isthe only part that must be released from the lower housing component inorder to make the connecting devices and/or the external connectordevices accessible in order to connect the cabling.

It is advantageous here that only one part needs to be released, forinstance unscrewed. This saves time and hence also costs associated withmaintenance, assembly and installation.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be apparent from thesubordinate claims.

The invention is explained in greater detail with reference to thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of theinvention with an upper housing compartment lifted away;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cable arrangement for the firstexemplary embodiment with separate converter and electric motor;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third exemplary embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the third exemplary embodiment of theinvention with an upper housing compartment lifted away.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1 an embodiment of the distributor box in accordance with theinvention is shown. It comprises a lower housing compartment 2 and anupper housing compartment 1. Field-bus cables with field-bus leads andpower-supply leads pass through the PG screw fittings 3 and apertures inthe housing wall into the interior of the lower housing compartment 2.Similarly, high tension cables pass through PG screw fittings 4 into theinterior of the lower housing compartment 2. The upper housingcompartment 1 is fixedly attached to the lower housing compartment bymeans of releasable screws 5. A sealing element is inserted between theadjacent surfaces of the upper housing compartment 1 and lower housingcompartment 2, so that the two compartments are joined together with ahigh degree of protection. The electrical connection between upperhousing compartment 1 and lower housing compartment 2 is accomplished bymeans of two pin-and-socket connector parts, which are not shown in thefigure.

A hybrid cable coming from the field mechanism or mechanisms is ledthrough the PG screw fitting 6 and connected to a commercially availablehybrid pin-and-socket connector part 7. This is inserted into acorresponding hybrid pin-and-socket connector part as external terminalarrangements of the lower housing compartment 2; the latter hybridpin-and-socket connector part is soldered to a board 24 (see FIG. 2) inthe lower housing compartment 2 and hence integrated into the lowerhousing compartment 2.

The upper housing compartment 1 comprises an electronic circuit that iselectrically connected to the field-bus leads and to leads of the hybridcable. A central computer and, in some cases, other field mechanisms arethus electrically connected by way of the field bus to the electroniccircuitry in the upper housing compartment 1. The electronic circuitryin the upper housing compartment 1 is provided with a field-bus addressthat can be set by means of DIP switches, and filters out data that areintended for this specific address. Furthermore, it translates thesedata into a system-bus protocol and transfers the translated system-busdata by way of leads in the hybrid cable to at least one converterattached to the hybrid cable. Analogously, data are translated back tothe field-bus protocol in the reverse order.

Additional converters or devices can be connected to this system bus andcan also exchange data with one another. Here it is advantageous thatthe system bus can be designed for a very high data-transmission rateand hence is usable for special applications.

FIG. 2 shows the same distributor box as FIG. 1 but with the upperhousing compartment 1 lifted away to reveal the board 24 to which theabove-mentioned hybrid pin-and-socket connector is soldered. On theboard 24 are mounted additional external terminal arrangements 22, 25 byway of which to connect external leads such as field-bus leads,power-supply leads, high tension leads, shielding leads and neutralleads.

The first connector part 23 is mounted in the upper housing compartment1 and is electrically connected to the electronic circuitry in the upperhousing compartment 1. The second connector part 21 is set onto theboard 24 and electrically connected thereto by soldering. The firstconnector part 23 and the second connector part 21 thus together form atransfer pin-and-socket connector, which apart from a grounding cableconstitutes the only electrical connection between upper housingcompartment 1 and lower housing compartment 2.

In FIG. 3 is shown an advantageous further development that comprises amotor-protection switch 31 for electrical disconnection of the hightension leads. This is connected to the lower housing compartment 2 andincorporates an auxiliary switch for electrical disconnection of thefield-bus leads with power-supply leads. That is, here the auxiliaryswitch serves for the electrical disconnection of low tension leads.Hence during installation, assembly or repair work the whole hybridcabling with connected field equipment, such as converters with electricmotors or the like, can be electrically turned off.

FIG. 4 shows how a field mechanism is connected to the distributor boxin accordance with the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thefield-bus cable is electrically looped through the lower housingcompartment 2, such that the electronic circuit in the upper housingcompartment 1 taps the field bus and translates the data destined forthe set address into a control-bus protocol. The high tension cables 42are likewise looped through in a T shape, such that the high tensionleads in the hybrid cable 43 are connected to the high tension cables42. The hybrid cable 43 conducts high voltage and control bus output tothe converter and is looped through the converter 45. Thus additionalfield mechanisms, such as the converter 45 with electric motors 46 orthe like, can also be connected. The converter 45 delivers power to theelectric motor 46 by way of the supply cable 44.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 is shown another exemplary embodiment in accordancewith the invention. It comprises a lower housing compartment 55, ontowhich several upper housing compartments 51, 52, 53 are set; these arereleasably attached, by means of screws, to the lower housingcompartment 55 so as to afford a high degree of protection. FIG. 5 showsthe upper housing compartments 51, 52, 53 thus attached, whereas FIG. 6shows the second and third upper housing compartments 52, 53 liftedaway. In addition, an identification plate 59 and a motor-protectionswitch 54 are disposed on the lower housing compartment 55.

The lower housing compartment 55 comprises two large bores 57 for hightension leads and small bores 58 to receive PG screw fittings forfield-bus leads. The high tension leads, like the field-bus leads, arelooped through in a T configuration. During assembly, therefore, one ofthe high tension leads is passed through one of the large bores 57 as asupply line and is attached to a terminal strip that is seated on theboard 68 of the lower housing compartment 55 and is connected to theboard 68 by solder joints. Conversely, in the same way a high tensioncable is passed through one of the large bores 57 as an outgoing lineand is attached to the terminal strip. The three-phase current istherefore conducted from the supply line through the outgoing line toother devices. By way of the board 68, however, it is also possible toredirect three-phase current to the hybrid pin-and-socket connector part56, which thus serves as an external terminal through which to supply anelectric motor that is connected there.

The first upper housing compartment 51 comprises, as in FIGS. 1 and 2,an electronic circuit that is electrically connected to field-bus leadsand filters out from the field-bus data stream the particular data thatare destined for the address set by means of DIP switches. These dataare then translated into the system-bus protocol and conducted throughthe system bus to a converter attached thereto. In FIGS. 5 and 6 theconverter is constructed as a third upper housing compartment 53, whichcontains the appropriate electronic circuit with electronic connectors,the heat of which is conducted away by the cooling device 60. Theelectrical connections to the lower housing compartment are provided bya pin-and-socket connector with second connector part 61. The connectordevices 62 are used to connect the motor-protection switch 54. Thepin-and-socket connector 63 provides a connection to the hybridpin-and-socket connector part 56, in such a way that at least the hightension leads, leads to supply the brake of the motor (i.e., brakeleads), and temperature-sensor leads and neutral leads are sent to thehybrid connector part 56.

Again there is coupled to the motor-protection switch 54 an auxiliaryswitch that operates substantially simultaneously with themotor-protection switch 54. That is, it serves for the electricaldisconnection of low tension leads as well as of motor-control leads.

The hybrid pin-and-socket connector part 56 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6comprises, on one hand, high tension cables for large currents andvoltages. On the other hand, it comprises leads that can conduct onlysmaller currents, i.e. low tension currents, and also voltages.Therefore it is advantageous to employ a cable with leads of variousdiameters, in particular when hybrid connectors are used such as, forexample, the hybrid pin-and-socket connector part 56, because by thismeans the labor of installation can be considerably reduced.

When the second upper housing compartment 52 is lifted away, theconnector devices for incoming and outgoing conduction through hightension leads are accessible, just like those for the field-bus andother leads. These connector devices are also termed external terminalarrangements, because they serve for the connection of external leads.

In the lower housing compartment 55 a braking resistance is alsomounted, which is electrically connected to the connector devices 62 andhence can be connected to the electronic circuit in the third upperhousing compartment 53, which is constructed as an attachable converter.

List of Reference Numerals

1 upper housing compartment

2 lower housing compartment

3 PG screw fitting for field bus and supply voltages

4 PG screw fitting for high voltage

5 screws

6 PG screw fitting for hybrid cables

7 hybrid pin-and-socket connector part

14 display elements

21 second connector part

22 external terminal arrangements

23 first connector part

24 board

25 external terminal arrangements

31 motor-protection switch

41 field-bus cable

42 high tension cable

43 hybrid cable

44 power-supply cable

45 converter

46 electric motor

51 first upper housing component

52 second upper housing component

53 third upper housing component

54 motor-protection switch

55 lower housing compartment

56 hybrid pin-and-socket connector part

57 large bores

58 small bores

59 identification plate

60 cooling device

61 second pin-and-socket connector part

62 connector devices

63 pin-and-socket connector

68 board

What is claimed is:
 1. A distributor box comprising: (a) a lower housingcompartment, said lower housing including a first connecting device, asecond connecting device, a hybrid pin-and-socket connector part adaptedto connect to both high tension and low tension leads of an externalcable, a first T-shaped internal cabling that is adapted to connecttogether said first connecting device, said second connecting device,and said hybrid pin-and-socket connector part; (b) an upper housingcompartment adapted to mate with the lower housing compartment, saidupper housing compartment includes an electronic circuit adapted tocommunicate with an external control bus; (c) a transfer pin-and-socketconnector, said pin-and-socket connector including a first connectorpart fixedly mounted within the upper housing compartment, a secondconnector part fixedly mounted within said lower housing compartment,wherein said first connector part and said second connector part areadapted to electrically connect when said upper housing compartment andsaid lower housing compartment are mated together, said second connectorpart is adapted to electrically connect to an external cable via saidconnecting devices, said first connector part of said pin-and-socketconnector is adapted to electrically connect to said electronic circuit;and (d) said lower housing further including a second T-shaped internalcabling adapted to connect together said first connecting device, saidsecond connecting device, and said second pin and socket connector. 2.The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein the hybridpin-and-socket connector part is adapted to connect to a low tensionbrake lead.
 3. The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein thehybrid pin-and-socket connector part is adapted to connect to a lowtension control-bus lead.
 4. The distributor box according to claim 1,wherein the electric circuit is adapted to connect to a field bus and asystem bus.
 5. The distributor box according to claim 1, furthercomprising a second upper housing compartment that defines a closedspatial region.
 6. The distributor box according to claim 1, furthercomprising a third upper housing compartment that comprises a electriccircuit that is adapted to connect to a system bus lead and a brakelead.
 7. The distributor box according to claim 6, wherein the lowerhousing compartment comprises a braking resistance, said brakingresistance is adapted to connect to said electric circuit in said thirdupper housing compartment.
 8. The distributor box according to claim 1,wherein said transfer pin-and-socket connector is the only electricalconnection between said upper housing compartment and said lower housingcompartment.
 9. The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein thesaid transfer pin-and-socket connector and a ground connection cable arethe only electrical connections between said upper housing compartmentand said lower housing compartment.
 10. The distributor box according toclaim 1, wherein said lower housing is adapted to connect to a field-buslead and a control-bus lead that include leads for supply voltages. 11.The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein said lower housingcomprises a motor-protection switch for disconnecting a high tensionlead.
 12. The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein said lowerhousing comprises a auxiliary switch for disconnecting a low tensionlead.
 13. The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein saidelectronic circuit is addressable as a bus participant and can filterfield bus data and translate said data into a control-bus protocol andsend said translated data by way of a control bus to a field mechanismsupplied from said distributor box.
 14. The distributor box according toclaim 1, wherein said electronic circuit comprises a settable switchwith which to a set field-bus addresses.
 15. The distributor boxaccording to claim 1, wherein said upper housing compartment comprises aconnector devices adapted to connect an external sensors or an actuator.16. The distributor box according to claim 1, wherein said upper housingcompartment comprises a connector device for a control unit.
 17. Thedistributor box according to claim 1, wherein said upper housingcompartment comprises a display device.
 18. The distributor boxaccording to claim 1, wherein said upper housing compartment comprises acontrol element such as a key, a push-button, a rotating knob for inputand controlling processes.
 19. A distributor box comprising: (a) a lowerhousing compartment, said lower housing including a connecting device;(b) an upper housing compartment adapted to mate with said lower housingcompartment, said upper housing compartment includes an electroniccircuit; (c) a transfer pin-and-socket connector, said pin-and-socketconnector including a first connector part fixedly mounted within theupper housing compartment, a second connector part fixedly mountedwithin said lower housing compartment, wherein said first connector partand said second connector part are adapted to electrically connect whensaid upper housing compartment and said lower housing compartment aremated together, said second connector part is adapted to electricallyconnect to an external cable via said connecting devices, said firstconnector part of said pin-and-socket connector is adapted toelectrically connect to said electronic circuit; and (d) a brakingresistance mounted in thermal conduction with said lower or said upperhousing.
 20. The distributor box according to claim 19, wherein saidbraking resistance is mounted to the interior of said lower or upperhousing.
 21. The distributor box according to claim 19, wherein saidlower housing comprises cooling fingers or cooling ribs.
 22. Adistributor box comprising: (a) a lower housing compartment, said lowerhousing including a connecting device, (b) an first upper housingcompartment adapted to mate with said lower housing compartment, saidupper housing compartment includes an electronic circuit; (c) a transferpin-and-socket connector, said pin-and-socket connector including afirst connector part fixedly mounted within the upper housingcompartment, a second connector part fixedly mounted within said lowerhousing compartment, wherein said first connector part and said secondconnector part are adapted to electrically connect when said upperhousing compartment and said lower housing compartment are matedtogether, said second connector part is adapted to electrically connectto an external cable via said connecting device, said first connectorpart of said pin-and-socket connector is adapted to electrically connectto said electronic circuit; and, (d) a second upper housing compartment,wherein said second upper housing compartment closes off said lowerhousing compartment from the surroundings.
 23. The distributor boxaccording to claim 22, wherein removal of said second upper housingcompartment allows direct access to said connecting devices located inthe lower housing.